NVIDIA released a new set of NVIDIA Forceware drivers today. One of the highlights of this release is the inclusion of NVIDIA's new PureVideo HD technology which provides hardware acceleration for decoding H.264, VC-1, WMV and MPEG-2 movies.
Movie lovers can now build a PC to enjoy a spectacular HD DVD or Blu-ray experience with the release of new NVIDIA Forceware drivers featuring NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology. PureVideo HD technology combines high-definition video decode acceleration and post-processing to deliver extraordinary picture clarity, smooth video, brilliant color, and precise image scaling for high definition movies. The drivers are available now from NVIDIA.com.

"This is a milestone in PC entertainment," said Scott Vouri, general manager of multimedia at NVIDIA. "NVIDIA is proud to be the first graphics processing company in the world to make it possible for consumers to build or upgrade a PC to play HD DVD and Blu-ray movies."
Keep in mind that you will need an HDCP compliant video card and monitor if you plan to play HD DVD and Blu-ray movies at high resolutions. More information on PureVideo HD can be found on NVIDIA's website. Add a comment

ECS 945G-M3 M-ATX Motherboard Review @ GruntvillE.com
USB Skype Phone With LCD Display @ ThinkComputers.org
Arctic Cooling Accelero X1 VGA Cooler @ Futurelooks
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Vizo "UFO" 4-port USB Hub @ OCModShop
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Medusa ProGamer Surround Headset @ HWzone.co.il
Logitech AudioStation iPod Music System @ The TechZone
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Leadtek WinFast PX7950GT TDH Extreme @ HardwareZone
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The staff here at CDRLabs has been impressed with the level of knowledge and expertise our readers have exhibited over the years. With this in mind, we are launching a user submitted article program. For each article accepted and published, CDRLabs will pay $25US (cash or equivalent in products).

Articles must be:
1. Original content written by the submitter

2. Semi-related to the rest of the content on the website (optical storage, multi-media, etc)

3. Submitted in .doc or .txt format with pictures as .jpg or .png
Articles will be edited for grammar and spelling and large pictures will be resized. If you have any questions, please post them in the forum.

On a semi-related note, we are looking to expand our staff by adding one or two software reviewers. These people must be able to work on their own, be motivated and work under deadlines. In return, you'll be able to check out the latest software. If you're interested, send me an email. Add a comment

ASUS P5N32-SLI Premium Mainboard @ HardwareZone
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Nokia N93 GSM Handset @ Digit-Life
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Everglide g-1000 Mouse Review @ NGOHQ.com
SteelPad 5H Headset @ HWzone.co.il
Antec Truepower Trio 650 Watt Power Supply Review @ Tweaknews.net
2.5" HDD/Media Enclosure Showdown @ BCCHardware
Cooler Master Mystique 631 @ Tweak PC
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Sonic sent out a press release this morning, announcing that their patent for dynamic content revision will be included in the formation of the Blu-ray Disc Patent Portfolio License. This technology gives publishers the ability to update content over the web or a local cache.
Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: SNIC), the leader in digital media software, announced today that its US Patent 6,944,621 for dynamic content revision has been evaluated as essential to the Blu-ray Disc (BD) specification for BD players and optical media for the purpose of participating in a joint Blu-ray Disc Patent Portfolio License being facilitated by MPEG LA. The Sonic technology covered in the ‘621 patent - one of several the company has related to new high-definition formats - allows for updating or augmenting multimedia content on portable storage media including CD, DVD, UMD, flash memory, and HD DVD. In addition to Sonic's intention to participate in the Blu-ray Disc Patent Portfolio License, the company will continue to license the ‘621 patent directly to content owners, online service providers, software developers, game console manufacturers, consumer electronics companies, in-game advertisers, and other industry partners developing online services and non-BD applications.
As much as I'd like to see new content, I can see this technology being used more for advertising. If you'd like to read more, Sonic's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

Elife Colorful Card USB Drive @ ThinkComputers.org
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Zalman Reserator 2 Water Cooling System @ Tweaknews.net
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Choosing a Portable MP3 Player: Part 1 @ OCModShop
Lots of Hi-Speed USB Pen Drives Tested ­ 512MB to 4GB @ TweakTown
Gigabyte 965P-DQ6 Motherboard @ BCCHardware
ATI Radeon X1650PRO Graphics Cards Compared @ TweakTown
Cooler Master Hyper TX Socket 775 CPU Cooler Review @ Bigbruin.com
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ECS P965T-A Rev1.0B Motherboard @ Futurelooks
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CDRLabs kicks off the week with an in depth look at Sony's new 18x DVD±RW/RAM drive, the DRU-830A. Sporting some pretty impressive specs, this Samsung based drive is capable of 18x DVD±R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD±R DL and 12x DVD-RAM writing speeds and a maximum DVD read speed of 16x. The DRU-830A also includes features like 48x CD reading and writing speeds, 32x rewriting speeds, Power-Burn buffer underrun protection and an impressive software bundle from Nero.

In this review we'll take a look at some of the features found on the DRU-830A and see how it compares to some of the 16x and 18x DVD±RW drives from the competition. Does Sony's new drive have what it takes? You'll have to read the review to find out.


Sony DRU-830A 18x DVD±RW/RAM
If you have any comments or questions about this review or the Sony DRU-830A, please post them in the forum using the link provided below. Add a comment